Chef Melinda, please tell us a little about yourself.
I’m originally from the Midwest. I trained in classical music for a long time, working in restaurants all the while, and throwing a lot of dinner parties with friends. I was struck by the power of food to connect, nourish, and create community. Eventually, I decided to make a career of cooking. I moved to New York to go to culinary school and I’ve been working as a personal chef, since about 16 years now. I’m not sure which I like more - cooking or eating!
I moved my business into a storefront in Red Hook, Brooklyn, last year. It has been exciting, even as strange and tumultuous as this year has been. It has been a reset that has clarified what I value and how I want to move in the world. The space, called Hyssop, gathers my food endeavors under one roof. It brings together my long-time personal chef and catering work with my love for dinner parties, food experiences, and affinity for beautiful things. We do boutique catering on-site (at this time “micro-events”) and have a retail component in the front, which showcases local makers. My vision is to make seasonal/sustainable eating and cooking a joy that is accessible to as many people as possible.
I live in Red Hook as well - with my partner, an orange cat, and a country dog. They are all very enthusiastic eaters!
Why did you decide to become a chef? Did you go to culinary school?
It’s actually pretty ironic that I became a chef because, as a kid, I was an incredibly picky eater. I wouldn’t eat any vegetables except carrot sticks!
I decided to become a chef because I love how food can nourish us on so many levels and I wanted to inspire people to really enjoy eating and sharing meals. I delight in bringing people together for shared experiences. I did go to culinary school. I graduated from the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in 2006. I had previously cooked in restaurants and I wanted to round out my traditional culinary experience with training in health-supportive cooking.
What’s your favorite thing about being a chef?
I love to go to the farmers’ market and talk to the people who grow the food. Beautiful produce makes me want to cook! Especially when it has been grown by farmers who are passionate about nurturing what the earth provides. The badger flame beets from Remembrance Farm are stellar right now!
Which is your favorite cuisine, to cook and personally?
Moroccan cuisine is my favorite to cook. I love the slow-cooking methods that coax out the subtlety of the spices. And I especially enjoy making the condiments and accompaniments... chermoula, harissa, preserved lemons.
When I go out for dinner I like to eat things that I generally wouldn’t cook at home. Sometimes that means trying a cuisine I’m less familiar with, and sometimes it means oysters and a good burger!
Do you have any tips for moms at home?
I’d say to keep it simple. At home, I find that it works well to prepare different dishes that can be mixed and matched throughout the week, rather than coming up with a new meal every night. For example, I might make a rice pilaf that we eat with chicken or fish one night or with roasted vegetables another night. And then some of those ingredients might end up in a salad or a soup. Or a pasta or noodle dish. I also always keep eggs in the house for those times that I’m peering into the fridge hoping something will magically appear.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
I immediately think of this weird jello - cool whip parfait concoction with canned mandarin oranges suspended in it, served in a glass 9”x12” baking dish (circa 1980 at my midwestern grandparents’ house). It was mesmerizing and confusing at the same time. I doubt I could choke it down now!
What’s your favorite ingredient? And your least favorite one.
I love good sea salt. A lot of people don’t realize how salt can boost a dish. I have an amazing 7-wood smoked sea salt in my kitchen right now and it is delightful and beautiful on a raw turnip salad or sliced radish.
I’m not a fan of green bell peppers because I find that they overpower the other flavors in a dish. Really, the only time I use them is for gumbo or jambalaya - they’re essential in cajun and creole cuisine.
What’s your favorite tool in the kitchen?
Well, it’s a toss-up between a microplane and a tiny whisk. I’m a fan of citrus zest, so I’m always grabbing the microplane for that and for juicing ginger. And for grating cheese, of course. The tiny whisk is just sweet and fun to use for dressings and sauces.
Which is your favorite wine, and favorite cheese?
I’ve never met a cheese I didn’t like! I love a creamy, bloomy, rich cheese like a Robiola or Délice de Bourgogne. Gruyère is my favorite for a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread. We just made a delicious sweet-savory tomato jam in my kitchen that was delicious with Tickler Cheddar from Murray’s Cheese.
Is there any good book you would like to refer to our readers?
Gabrielle Hamilton’s memoir Blood, Bones and Butter. I listened to the audiobook, which is read by the author. She is a beautiful writer and storyteller.
When you are not cooking, what can we find you doing?
EATING
I also love gardening. My kitchen space in Red Hook has a really sweet backyard. The cherry tomato plants grew almost 8 feet high this summer! And my gooseberry bush produced fruit, which was very exciting.
Who’s the one person you want to cook for living or dead?
My grandma Jane prepared me countless bowls of pasta with butter and cheese when I was a kid, and never asked me to eat a vegetable. If she were still alive I would cook short rib ragù from her recipe and share a meal with her.
What is the best way to reach you?
The best way to reach me through one of my two websites: Hyssop Brooklyn, the site for my kitchen/catering space/store in Red Hook) or Food with Melinda, my personal chef site.
Thank you!
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